Saturday, March 23, 2013

Sweet As Honey

Happy Spring Everyone! Wednesday was my father-in-law's 72nd birthday. Happy birthday Bob! I'm not quite sure why I associate pie and banana pudding with him, but a couple of years ago I made him a banana pudding pie and this year I conjured up a new creation of banana pudding cheesecake-- doesn't that sound amazing? It was a great way to celebrate the first day of Spring. And tomorrow if the weather cooperates, I'm heading out to find a patch of Texas bluebonnets to plop Hayden in the middle of to take his picture. It's what Texans do!

Grandpa Bob, Mr. H and Hayden

I've been baking so much lately, trying to get new pictures and recipes for the cookbook that I've neglected my fellow Cake Slice Bakers. This month's cake got so much praise that I just had to take a break from my regular schedule and make it. I like honey, but don't love it like I do cream cheese or chocolate. I use it in recipes, but it's never a major flavor component in anything I make. This cake was good, really good. There's honey in the cake, then after it's baked it get topped with a honey butter glaze, sliced almonds and even more glaze. After it cools slightly, the topping because somewhat chewy and crunchy, while the cake soaks up that glaze and becomes moist and sticky with a tight, tender crumb. I'm glad I made this cake and I hope you will too! Nothing says Spring like birthdays, wildflowers on the side of the road and fresh local honey.

Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 by 2-inch round cake pan or 9 by 3-inch springform pan. Line the bottom with a parchment paper circle and set aside.

To Make The Cake: In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then whisk the ingredients by hand to ensure they are well mixed.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, honey, and vanilla on low speed until blended; increase the speed to high and cream until very light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. As you make the batter, stop the mixer frequently and scrape the paddle and the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Blend in the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, adding the next one as soon as the previous one has disappeared into the batter. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour. After each addition, mix until just barely blended and stop and scrape the bowl. Stop the mixer before the last of the flour has been incorporated and complete the blending by hand with a rubber spatula to ensure you do not overbeat the batter.

Spread the thick batter evenly into the prepared pan. Tap the pan firmly on the counter to release any air bubbles. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake for 45 minutes. The cake will turn a deep golden color and be firm on top, and a wooden skewer inserted in the middle will have moist crumbs attached. The cake might crack on the surface as it bakes; don’t worry, this simply provides a way for the cake to soak up more honey glaze.

To Make The Glaze: In a small saucepan combine the honey, sugar, and butter over medium heat, stirring until combined. Bring the mixture just barely to a simmer. Turn off the heat but leave the saucepan on the burner to keep warm.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes before inverting it onto a serving plate, right side up. Be careful, the cake is hot! Poke holes all over the top of the cake with a wooden skewer. Pour half of the glaze over the cake, evenly sprinkle the cake with the almonds, and then pour the rest of the glaze over the almonds. Let cake cool slightly, but serve warm.

The honey in this cake makes it a good keeper (5 days) when well wrapped and stored at room temperature.

I've done a honey cake before but it did not look this good and did not have the almond and honey butter topping! I love this cake just for that! And yes, you wouldn't be a true Texan without taking pictures with bluebonnets! And yesterday we had three family birthdays on one day! Tis the season! : )

This reminds me a bit of my Bee Sting Cake. Mine is yeast-based, though. The almonds and honey are finger lickin' good. This cake sounds like it's a winner, and I now you wouldn't say so if it wasn't true!

Hi Monica! I am writting you from Spain and only wanted to say that I love your recipes, they look to me really really great. We both share the passiong for baking and I am following you from now on.Warm regards!

Will definitely make this in 6" pans (making two) for our presale bake sale. We have about 15 8-14 year olds preselling complete bbq dinners, older kids doing baking, and it all benefits families they know with members serving our country overseas. The youngsters will be delivering complete meals on the 4th of July or whichever day the family wishes. So proud of them. (yes,some of us got roped into making our tried and true desserts, and they're all pre-sold!) This cake will go over well,

Get Your Copy Today!

Click on the cake to order

Search This Blog

Loading...

Welcome To My Blog

My name is Monica and I'm a stay at home mom living in central Texas. I like to cook, but baking is my passion. I am an (obsessive) collector of cake stands, cookbooks and bakeware. I make lots of yummy treats and often share my sweet creations with friends, family and anyone else who is willing to be my guinea pig. I have lots of recipes in the archives so I hope you'll stick around for awhile!

All photos are mine unless otherwise noted. Feel free to Pin whatever photos you'd like on Pinterest, but please ask prior to using them on other blogs or websites.

If you have a question or comment, please feel free to Email Me. I'd love to hear from you!